The patents relate to methods for increasing the ethanol production capability of a photosynthetic microorganism.
Joule’s platform microorganism is engineered to produce and secrete ethanol in a continuous process, converting about 90% of the CO2 it consumes directly to end product, with no reliance on biomass feedstocks.
US Patents cover enzymatic mechanisms engineered into the cell by Joule to maximize its ethanol productivity.
At full-scale commercial production Joule expects to produce ethanol for as little as $0.60/gallon.
Joule president and CEO Bill Sims said the company’s technology affords Joule an incredible opportunity to meet growing demand at productivities well beyond biomass-based approaches.
"Rather than focus on incremental improvements along the supply chain, we have proven that a direct, continuous process from photons to fuel is the answer to highly-efficient, cost-competitive production that can scale without today’s feedstock constraints," Sims said.
